Is a Family Mini Session Right for Me?
From St. Louis Family Photographer Amber Sargent
“Mini Sessions”- they are everywhere you look in the fall. I 100% understand that families LOVE fall photos. The weather is nice, the leaves are changing, they are perfect for holiday cards, fall is a beautiful time of year. I LOVE fall. I do not, however love fall mini sessions. It is a “buzz” word, indicating “fast and cheap”. People often state “but I just want a few photos, 3 or 4 good ones will do. I highly encourage my clients to book a full service experience family photography session to ensure the best results and memories to last a lifetime!
Here is why:
The awful feeling of being rushed.
I want your session to be FUN. I don’t want it to be stressful. Family photos are stressful enough as is. Mini sessions often give you 20 minutes MAX. Sometimes only 10 minutes. 10 minutes is not enough time (in my opinion, of course) to have a relaxed, happy, family session where everyone has settled and is comfortable. On the other hand, sessions that drag on over 60 minutes are just too long. I prefer my sessions to be 30-45 minutes. Kids don’t always want to cooperate (toddlers, anyone??). Families - especially little ones- need time to “warm up” and feel comfortable and confident being photographed. I don’t want you to feel rushed.
Back-to-back urgency
Piggybacking off the above statement, back to back sessions are stressful for everyone. Everyone has to show up at the exact right time, and I may be trying to photograph your family while the next one shows up, may need direction on where to go, and will awkwardly have to wait until your family is done. It just makes the whole experience impersonal. I want my families to feel like they are my priority that day, not me worrying about who is next. I never want it to be: “NEXT… NEXT… NEXT'“. It’s just not my style.
Lighting/timing
Sessions are booked at very specific times to get the best lighting. “Golden hour”, the hour before sunset, or the hour after sunrise, is the best time to have photographs taken. If you book multiple short sessions back to back, some people are going to have the great lighting, others will be the less desired lighting. Families may not think this is a big deal, but if you are drawn to my portfolio of family photography due to the look of the images, then your session is at a different timeframe, I cannot always replicate the look you booked me for. We also will not have time to go to more than one area at our location. Which leads me to…
No flexibility
Often photographers book themselves FULL in the fall, and usually overbook. It doesn’t allow any flexibility in case of crisis. It also allows no flexibility in location. I understand crisis can happen and I want holes in my schedule in case of weather, sickness, emergency, etc. I don’t want my clients to ever feel like I will not try my hardest to be as flexible as I can. I do not overstuff my calendar. I personally booked a family session with a local photographer, and was emailed the day before the session to say we had to switch locations because another family demanded a certain location. I will never do that to my clients. We choose your location based on the look you want. It would be unfair to book you at a location, and then make you change because someone else wanted to.
“I just need a few photos”. Photography is an art, and I treat it that way. I do not ever want to be JC Penny or Sears. I am creating art for your family. I am capturing memories. It is a lot of work to pick a date, pick a location, pick outfits, and get your family to cooperate. Why shouldn’t you reap the rewards of all that work. As a photographer, I take anywhere from 300-600 images during a 45 minute session. It takes me HOURS to then narrow down the very best of the best images for you. I take out all the images that didn’t work out (duplicate pose, eyes closed, blurry, etc.) and I deliver the best quality images I can. If someone truly only “needs” 3 photos, I would still click my camera probably 100 times to get those 3 images. The exception is if you want me to have to stand in one spot, look at the camera, and smile, and thats it. No variety, no connection, no fun. That just isn’t my style. I want it to be enjoyable and not. a chore.
The exception to mini sessions that I do bend for, is specific holiday themed events. It goes against my heart, but I do sometimes do these kind of sessions because I know that people really want them in certain instances. Santa experience sessions, for example, are 20 minutes long, which is a perfect amount of time to have a great time with Santa. My tree farm sessions are shorter as well, but I understand that people want less images for these type of session. Occasionally I do offer limited edition sessions, but when I do, I keep them LIMITED, I do not book 10 back to back, and I also leave space in between them so my family’s aren’t on top of each other. I do not however, do “fall mini family sessions”. If you want a family session from me, I promise to give my all to your family, I will help you choose a day, a location, outfits, and artwork. Your families memories will hang proudly in your home or fill a stunning family photo album that you can cherish forever. Family photos aren’t meant to be rushed, they are meant to be a fun memory, printed, and enjoyed everyday.
Are you expecting a new baby soon? Check out my curated list of some of my favorite baby items HERE
and my list of must-have baby items for your registry list HERE
I would love to help you with maternity, newborn, children, and family portrait sessions. Get in touch today to customize your dream session!
Sargent Photography is a custom portrait maternity, newborn, and family photographer in O’Fallon, Missouri serving the greater St. Charles and St. Louis area.
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